The invention relates to an apparatus for collecting bone tissue fragments from liquids recovered during surgical operations, as well as to a method of collecting bone tissue fragments.
Many surgical operations are carried out in bone tissue. An example includes those operations conducted within the oral cavity for the purpose of fixing dental problems such as crowns, bridges and prosthesis in toothless regions of the jaw. These operations can include drilling holes in the jaw bone to secure titanium screws that are used as anchoring elements. The bone tissue fragments generated during drilling can be used for filling bone cavities within the jaw that were caused by proceeding pathological processes.
An aspirator can be used to remove blood from the operative site. The bone tissue fragments created during the operation (such as drilling) are entrained within the liquid flow and will be lost if they are not separated from the liquid flow and collected. Accordingly, a need remains for a simple way for collecting bone tissue fragments.
Accordingly, the invention is found in a method for collecting bone tissue fragments from liquid evacuated during a surgical operation within bone tissue. The liquid evacuated by suction is passed into a cylindrical sieve through an open end. The liquid passes through the sieve wall from an inside surface to an outside surface. An end wall which is displaceably disposed it the opposite end of the sieve is then moved axially through the cylindrical sieve so that bone tissue fragments collected on the inside surface of the sieve are scraped off from the inner surface and are deposited outside the sieve from the open end of the sieve.
The invention is also found in a device for collecting bone tissue fragments during surgical operations within bone tissue. The device is cylindrical, with an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end. The cylindrical device is connected to a suction conduit and there is a cylindrical sieve provided within the device. A space is provided between the outer curved surface of the sieve and the inner curved surface of the cylinder. An open end of the sieve communicates with the inlet of the cylinder and the space communicates with the outlet of the cylinder. The other end of the sieve has an end wall that can be displaced axially through the sieve as a piston.